LPD officer cleared in shooting   The Fifth Judicial District Attorney’s Office has cleared a Lovington Police Department officer involved in an October 2017 shooting incident near the Panda Buffet restaurant. On Oct. 19, 2017, around 3 a.m., LPD arrested Lovington resident Karlo Hernandez on burglary related charges before he allegedly ecscaped police custody and ran toward the Panda Buffet …

Conner sworn in as newest Eunice councilor EUNICE — The Eunice City Council is officially complete. Early in Tuesday’s regular council meeting, Carlos Eli Conner took the oath of office, filling a council seat vacated this month by Steve Almager, who resigned for employment reasons. Conner, a Eunice native, applied for the position after the March municipal elections which resulted …

Chance sentenced to 5 years LOVINGTON — Eunice resident Samantha Chance made an emotional statement on her own behalf before Fifth Judicial District Judge Gary Clingman Monday afternoon and was then sentenced to five years in prison for her second-degree murder conviction in Hobbsan Kasey Poole’s death. Chance, 26, appeared in court wearing bright orange following her transport from the …

NMJC approves pay raises, budget New Mexico Junior College Board members provided good news to staff, employees and president of the college at Thursday’s board meeting. In fiscal year 2019, staff members will receive a three percent pay increase and hourly employees a 25 cent an hour increase. The board also extended NMJC president Kelvin Sharp’s contract to June 30, …

Multiple Lovington streets to be resurfaced Lovington residents should keep an eye out for street resurfacing work within the next three weeks. Street closures are expected in areas that will undergo resurfacing. IPR Ltd. of Albuquerque will resurface different segments of streets throughout the City of Lovington starting on Monday through May 8. According to the city, surfacing work is …

Hobbsan charged after shots fired call, robbery A Hobbs man faces robbery and other felony charges after he was allegedly involved in a robbery and shooting incident last week. Emilio Tarango, 29, was charged with robbery, a second-degree felony; accessory to child abuse, a third-degree felony; accessory to shooting at or from a motor vehicle, felon in possession of a …

RA&J Office Works cuts ribbon In the company of about 30 well wishers, Rosa Molina cut the ribbon Friday to her new business. RA&J Office Works, located in the Michigan Plaza, 726 E. Michigan Dr., Suite 401, primarily deals with Department of Transportation regulations and tax services. Representatives of the Hobbs Chamber of Commerce, the Hobbs Hispano Chamber of Commerce, the …

Holtec spent nuclear fuel site license plan opposed A small group of nuclear waste opponents gathered Wednesday in Hobbs to protest the licensing of Holtec International’s proposed spent nuclear fuel site. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission set a May 29 deadline for public comments on the environmental impact statement for Holtec’s application to construct a subsurface site in western Lea County …

Murder trial: 911 call in Eunice played for jurors LOVINGTON — An emotional 911 call by Eunice resident Samantha Chance and a “love triangle” highlighted testimony Tuesday during the first-degree murder trial in the 2016 shooting death of 30-year-old Kasey Poole. Chance, now 26, was heard crying and sobbing as an emergency dispatcher tries to find out information about what …

Alamo lawmaker didn’t disclose state contracts ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — A New Mexico GOP state lawmaker and congressional candidate failed to disclose that her real estate company earned nearly a half-million dollars in contracts with two state agencies over five years, according to an analysis of campaign finance disclosure records by The Associated Press. The review of documents by the AP …